Jamie Bestwick pulls this X-up eight feet above the coping

Repeat Gold For Bestwick
September 12, 2004

By the time the BMX vert comp got under way, the field had shrunk to thirteen riders. Koji Kraft dropped out after a crash on the vert ramp in Sacramento two weeks ago left him on crutches. Dave Mirra had to pull after his park run during the LG park comp left him with a broken hand. Josh Harrington watched from the bleachers with a sprained ankle. And Eduardo Terreros, who smashed his face at last year’s LG ASC, fell during warm-up and suffered a broken ankle. Because of the tight field, prelims were cancelled and the finals went to a three-run format.

Most of the riders used the first run to get warmed up. Jim Burgess stuck a no-footed can can and a 540.

Tom Haugen pulled back-to-back whips followed by an alley oop whip, while Jeremy Fanberg pulled out a whip, a flair, and a bar spin to one-handed X-up.

Tom Stober exploded with a seat grab no-footer to late bar spin then threw in a whip, a flair and a 540 to round out his line. Chad Kagy pulled a casual half run with a bar spin to X-up, a flair and a whip, pulling out with fifteen seconds to go. And Jay Eggleston showed off a candy bar and a 540 straight into a whip.

John Parker went all out. He opened with a barspin and pulled back-to-back whip to 540 to whip before attempting his double whip, ending in the flat, tangled in his bike. Dennis McCoy aired out a candy bar and a can can before taking a flair straight into the flat bottom. Jimmy Walker, six weeks out of ankle surgery, threw two 540s, a flair and an opposite flair, smiling the whole time.

Kevin Robinson took a casual (for Kevin) first run, featuring a switch-handed 540, a no-handed flair and a whip, but fell on a switch-hand to no-handed flair. He shook it off though, with the knowledge that he had yet to unveil his sickest trick of all.

Jamie Bestwick took the lead right from the start with huge eight foot airs, a fifteen foot drifted flair, a double barspin, an opposite fast plant flair and a no-handed 540.

In the second round, Tom Stober attempted a double whip, going down hard but jumping up quickly. Parker tried his double whip again, again ending in the flat bottom. Chad Kagy threw an extra barspin to barspin into his line, pulling his score up. DMC pulled together a terrific line of tricks, including a barspin to X-up and an alley oop 540, pushing his way into the top five. And Simon Tabron pulled out his 900, jumping into 2nd place.

The third run was a story of all-or-nothing as some riders opted out and some took the opportunity to throw their biggest tricks. At this point, Jamie was sitting pretty, but there was still room at the top. Jay Eggleston went bigger than ever, blasting above the cameras on the decks. Parker threw the double whip one more time, but threw his bike away on reentry. And Kevin attempted the ultimate ace: the double flair, narrowly missing and messing up his back tire.

So Jamie Bestwick took a glory run and walked away with $30,000 in his pocket. Not bad for a guy who gave up his comfortable life in England to pursue the ridiculous dream of bike riding . . . Right!

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